06/03/2024
We smelt like Nkwobi
Just like any other day, we were already packed for school, and as I was about to open the door, then a sweet smell stooped me. It was a smell of scent leaves and some spices.
It was the delicious smell of a typical Nigerian kitchen. The smell of scent leaf, egwusi, Uziza, some pepper soup spice, or something very delicious, then I thought, “oh my neighbour must be cooking something delicious.
I shot the door, turned back and decided to also cook something nice for the day. I still had some minutes to spare.
I went back to the kitchen to bring out some stock from the freezer, some meat and fish, you know, just to generally set the things that needed to thaw before using them to cook soup.
As I stretched my hands to the top cabinet, I felt the strange breeze against my skin, and I looked down and saw that it was coming out of my oven.
Yes, the smell was from my kitchen.
At that moment it occurred to me that it was not possible to perceive my neighbours cooking as the building was detached.
Oluwa o!
Jola!!
Then I remembered that my madam had mentioned to me earlier that she was baking, but I didn’t pay that much attention to what she said because I was busy fixing her breakfast.
She must have turned it on, all that smell was coming from my oven. All the food stuff in the oven is burnt. Everything in there is gone, nothing to savage.
Don’t think yet, just read.
I asked Jola to shift back as I motioned to open the oven, and then the heavy smoke engulfed everywhere. It was so thick that it filled up the whole atmosphere and the smoke detector went off. The uziza, smoked fish, scent leaves, ugwu , custard and so on, all fried or baked as the case may be, all gone.
No, no, wait…don’t even give me that side eye!
I bet you are wondering how those things found their way into the oven in the first place.
Just wait, let me give you a short back story.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The thing is the last time I had an encounter with rats was in the university. After my service year, I got married and left the country for studies in South Africa. We had such a blissful time there. We moved houses twice and finally stayed in Sandton and it was so beautiful.
No rats, no cockroaches, no lizards (I dread that creature), no wall gecko, nothing to make me uncomfortable for a good five years.
Yes, I was spoilt in SA and so I totally forgot about the possibilities of rodents living with someone as co-tenant.
You know how it is a habit for an average Nigerian to travel the world with their food packed in their bags, that was the case. An average Nigerian could have six bags for check in, but only the sixth bag contains document and clothes, the first five is filled with food.
Take that to the bank!
So, after 2 months in Manchester, one cold night, on my way to use the restroom, I heard them. It was a long journey to the restroom considering I was half asleep while walking, but that sound was unmistakable.
I heard that squeaky sound of two rats or more communicating in the kitchen cabinet.
Mogbe!
The sleepiness cleared from my system, and I went to look for those destructive creatures, just to be sure and sad to say, I found them.
The following day, we went to buy those big transparent plastic containers to store the food. The truth is that these foodstuffs cost a lot of money.
The rest that was left after we stuffed the boxes were kept in the oven.
So, you now understand how they got in there.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Everything got burnt!
We were now officially late for school. I had to rush down because staying back with Jola to clean up was not an option.
We rushed to school at turbo speed and as we entered the school, I could feel eyes on my skin. At first, I didn’t know why.
It was later that I perceived that we smelt like evidence.
We smelt like proper Igbo kitchen, we smelt like Nkwobi!
